James inherited 14 acres of land in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England called the “Wakelyns”. His daughter, Ann, inherited a place called the “Butchers”. His daughter, Margaret, lived on a farm called the “Bourneys”.

James Aldous

Born: 1538 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England

Father: Thomas Aldous (1495 to 1569)
Mother: Agnes Barbor (1512 to 1582)

Spouse: Ann Agnes Godbold (1539 to 1595)

Married: 16 JUN 1560 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England

Children:

Agnes Aldous (1561 to Unknown)
Thomas Aldous (1562 to 1637)
Mary Aldous (1563 to Unknown)
Robert Aldous (1565 to 1630)
James Aldous (1566 to 1641)
John Aldous (1573 to 1662)
Margaret Aldous (1576 to 1614)

Died: 1615 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England

Burial: 8 JAN 1615 in St Peter and St Pauls Churchyard

Timeline:

1560 Marriage to Ann
1561 Birth of daughter, Ann
1562 Birth of son, Thomas
1563 Birth of daughter, Mary
1565 Birth of son, Robert
1566 Birth of son, James
1569 Death of father, Thomas
1573 Birth of son, John
1576 Birth of daughter, Margaret
1582 Death of mother, Agnes
1595 Death of wife, Ann
1602 Death of brother, William
1613 Death of brother, Thomas
1614 Death of daughter, Margaret
1615 Death and Burial

Occupation: farmer

Records:

Suffolk, England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, 1538-1850
UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Ann Agnes Godbold:

Ann was born in 1539 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1595 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

The marriage record lists her name as Agnes. The memorial on the website, Find A Grave, lists her name as Anne.

Daughters:

Ann Agnes Aldous:

Ann was born in 1561 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1638 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

Ann married Simon Barber on 6 FEB 1589 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

Simon Barber was born in 1562 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1637 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

On the website, Find A Grave, is a description of Simon’s last will. This transcription includes the names of 11 children:

James, Nicholas, Jonathan, Simon, John, William, Rebecca, Agnes, Thomasin, Sarah, and Rebecca.

It also mentions that Simon owned a considerable amount of property:

“Butchers” in Fressingfield, inherited from his father, Nicholas Barber (d. 1598), was left to his wife, Agnes, and after her death, to his son John.

Freehold land in Linstead Magna and land in Lynstead held on a 1,000-year lease were left to his son, Nicholas.

Two copyholds and a stockyard in Lystead to his son, Jonathan.

Lands in Middleton and Fordly were left to his son, Simon.

A messuage in Lystead, where his son Nicholas lived, was left to his son, James. Other lands in Lystead were also left to James.

An inclose of pasture called “Millclose” and site of a mill called “Millmount” were left to his wife, Agnes.

A messuage called “Turners” in Sancroft (St. Cross) Southelmham was left to his wife, Agnes.

Mary Aldous:

Mary was born in 1563 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. Death date unknown.

Margaret Aldous:

Margaret was born in 1576 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. She died in 1614 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

Margaret married Stephen Aldous, in 1602 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. Five known children were born to this marriage, all born in Fressingfield:

Elizabeth Aldous (1603)
Mary Aldous (1604)
Stephen Aldous (1607)
William Aldous (1610)
John Aldous (1612)

Stephen Aldous was born in 1579 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1628 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England.

From the website, dustyhills.net, you can read Tim Farr’s “Excellent Notes” on Stephen’s last will. It begins with this description:

“Stephen Aldous and his second cousin, Margaret Aldous, fell in love and were married in about 1602. Both had been born in the parish of Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, he was born in 1579 and she was born three years earlier. They lived at a farm called Bourneys, which had been in Stephen’s family for several generations. Stephen had been only four years of age, the youngest child in his family when his father died, and as he grew up he shared the home with his mother and four sisters.”

After Margaret died in 1614, Stephen married a widow named Margaret Harrison on 9 OCT 1617 in Fressingfield, Suffolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

Margaret (Unknown) was born around 1585.

Notes:

Here are some links to websites that helped with my Aldous family research:

Aldous.net (Aldous family history and family tree)
Ancestors of Tim Farr, Descendants of Stephen Farr (family tree)
Reid-Schroeder Genealogies (family tree)
The Tree of Us (family tree)
Family Search (family tree website)
The Internet Surname Database (surname meaning and origins)
House of Names (coat of arms)

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for vital records.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. Records should include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are other websites on the internet for countries like Italy and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty. They would then move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!